January 22, 2012, 18:03 UTC+3Meanwhile, opposition parties gathered on Kiev’s Sofia Square to sign a declaration on their joint actions

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KIEV, January 22 (Itar-Tass) —— Ukraine will continue the pragmatic policy in its relations with strategic partners – Russia, the United States and China, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich said on Sunday at a meeting, which marked the Day of National Unity.

He said he hoped that Ukraine and the European Union would sign the Association Agreement and the free trade document this year.

While commenting on the Ukrainian reforms, Yanukovich repeated that “Ukraine had become a hostage of the enslaving gas agreements with Russia signed in 2009, which inflicted huge losses on Ukraine. These agreements and foreign debts created a real threat to the Ukrainian national security. Those who pushed the country towards an abyss must be called to account to the people of Ukraine regardless of their position,” he said.

“The way to Europe is impossible without fundamental reforms and national modernization. The idea of modern development will unite all citizens, and Ukraine will secure its position of a strong and ambitious state in the complex globalized world,” he said. Yanukovich said that he would be “resolute and consistent in the pursuit of those goals.”

Meanwhile, opposition parties gathered on Kiev’s Sofia Square to sign a declaration on their joint actions.